Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday accused "Israel" of kidnapping her and others aboard the Madleen, a humanitarian aid boat bound for Gaza, after Israeli occupation forces intercepted the vessel in international waters and forcibly transferred its passengers to Ashdod port.

“They kidnapped us in international waters and took us against our will to Israel,” Thunberg told reporters upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, after being deported by the occupation entity. “This is yet another intentional violation of rights added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing.”

The 22-year-old climate and rights activist emphasized that her own experience was minor compared to “what the Palestinians are going through.”

The Madleen, which carried food and aid supplies, was intercepted roughly 185 kilometers off the coast of Gaza. On board were activists from France, Germany, Brazil, Türkiye, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands. The vessel's goal was to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Thunberg was deported on an El Al commercial flight to Paris, despite her long-standing commitment to avoiding air travel for environmental reasons.

“This is not the real story,” she stressed. “The real story is there is a genocide going on in Gaza and systematic starvation.”

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Thunberg denounced the “silence and passivity” of global governments, calling it a daily betrayal. “There are no words to describe the betrayal that is happening every day by our own governments,” she said, vowing to continue her campaign. “We will not stop. We will try every single day to demand an end to the atrocities Israel is carrying out.”

HRF files complaint over Madleen seizure

While Greta, alongside three activists, left voluntarily, eight others refused to sign deportation papers and remained in detention. Among them is French MEP Rima Hassan, previously denied entry over her support for boycotts against the Israeli occupation. The eight are expected to appear before an Israeli tribunal to contest their removal.

Legal support for the detainees has been coordinated by Adalah, a legal organization focused on the rights of Palestinians and Arabs within the occupied Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, a UK-based humanitarian organization, The Hind Rajab Foundation, has formally filed a war crimes complaint with the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit (Counter Terrorism Command, SO15) against the Israeli occupation over its raid on the Madleen.

The group submitted the case under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957, which permits UK courts to prosecute war crimes regardless of where they occurred or the nationality of the perpetrators.

The complaint specifically targets "Israel's" notorious naval commando unit, Shayetet 13, accusing it of breaching international humanitarian law during its seizure of the vessel in international waters. According to the foundation, the commandos used excessive force and endangered civilian lives aboard the Madleen.

According to the complaint, Shayetet 13's actions may constitute grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention by "Israel", including the unlawful targeting of humanitarian infrastructure and personnel. The foundation argues that the raid represents part of a broader pattern of attacks on non-military vessels attempting to break the blockade on Gaza.

🚨🚨The #HindRajabFoundation has filed a criminal complaint in the UK
against elite unit Shayetet 13, under the command of Vice Admiral David Saar Salama over Israel’s illegal raid on the British-flagged aid ship #Madleen and the abduction of 12 people.
For more info read ⬇️… pic.twitter.com/ELxqpaU7BP

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) June 9, 2025